179: Chapter 176 Incomplete!

They intertwined, causing his once crystal-clear path of martial arts to become blurred.

What should have been a straight and broad Dao was now shrouded in a dense, impenetrable fog; this fog was like an impassable barrier, cutting him off from the path ahead.

However, unlike the fear and retreat that ordinary people might feel when facing the unknown, a much stronger emotion surged deep within Chen Zhiwen's heart—a desire for curiosity and exploration!

His Dao was the Dao of Tyranny, the Extreme Dao!

It was a path of forging ahead without hesitation, a path that would never turn back even when faced with countless dangers!

This path was destined to be filled with thorns and obstacles, but he did not fear it, for he firmly believed that he could flatten all roughness and overcome every difficulty.

Therefore, how could a mere Taboo make him shrink back?

"What kind of change is this so-called drastic change in temperament?"

"What is the ultimate fate of those experts who step into the Taboo?"

He continued to ask, as if wanting to peer through these layers of fog to see the truth hidden within.

He was full of curiosity about this Taboo and wanted to understand it more deeply and in greater detail.

Because deep in his heart, a strong premonition told him that sooner or later, he would have to tread this path.

The zhandao sword spirit fell silent once more, without the slightest movement, as if time had frozen at this very moment.

However, this silence was different from before; it seemed to contain an indescribable struggle.

Its light flickered slightly, as if an intense battle was taking place deep within it.

The zhandao sword spirit clearly did not want Chen Zhiwen to come into contact with these truths too early, because these truths were simply too terrifying, enough to shake any Martial Artist's Dao Heart.

It knew well that once these truths were revealed, they would bring a huge shock to Chen Zhiwen, perhaps even causing him to fall into an abyss of despair.

The zhandao sword spirit also understood that with Chen Zhiwen's Prodigy-level talent and his steel-like, firm Dao Heart, the realm of the Taboo was not out of reach for him.

It knew clearly that one day, Chen Zhiwen would touch that Domain and face those unknown terrors.

Instead of letting Chen Zhiwen explore and face that endless fear and confusion alone in the future, it was better to give him some mental preparation now.

Although this might make Chen Zhiwen feel temporary pain and confusion, in the long run, this was undoubtedly the best choice for him.

"That kind of change..."

The sword spirit's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between its teeth.

"It is difficult to describe."

"It is like... turning from a living being with flesh and blood, with joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, into an Incarnation of the 'Dao'... operating according to some cold rules."

"They will gradually strip away their emotions, their past, everything about themselves... In their eyes, Family, friendship, and even life itself, all become meaningless."

"The only thing that has meaning is the 'Dao' they carry, the one that leads to the extreme."

"I once saw a high monk of the Buddhist sect who stepped into the Taboo; he entered the Dao through compassion, but after his Breakthrough, he personally wiped out the temple he had guarded for a thousand years, along with tens of thousands of believers, with a single palm strike."

"He said this was to deliver them, to let them escape the sea of suffering."

"His eyes had not the slightest ripple, only a kind of... extreme, terrifying 'compassion'."

"I have also seen a giant of the Demonic Path who proved his Dao through slaughter; after his Breakthrough, he put down his butcher's knife and began to travel the world, saving the dying and healing the wounded."

"But his way of saving people was to kill all those he deemed 'guilty,' and then use their flesh and blood to nourish those he deemed 'good people'."

"In his world, the boundaries between good and evil have long been twisted."

"As for my master..."

The sword spirit's voice carried a hint of trembling.

"After his Breakthrough, he once returned to his Family. That was the warmest harbor of his youth."

"He stood in front of the Family gate, watching quietly for three days and three nights."

"I could feel that deep within his heart, his remaining humanity was making a final struggle against that cold 'Dao'."

"In the end, he turned and left, never looking back."

"Because he knew that if he stayed for even one more moment, perhaps he would not be able to help himself, and would... shatter the entire Family, along with those warm memories!"

"Because, in his 'Dao of Tyranny,' any bonds and tenderness are... weaknesses!"

Boom!

A thunderclap seemed to explode in Chen Zhiwen's mind.

An Incarnation of the Dao?

Stripping away emotions?

This... is this still human?

This is no longer a simple change in temperament, but a... distortion and alienation of the essence of life!

In pursuit of stronger power, in the end, one loses everything that makes one a "human."

What is the meaning of such power?

For the first time, Chen Zhiwen's Dao Heart produced a trace of slight wavering.

He thought of his Imperial Father, his Imperial Mother, the Great Xuan Dynasty, and those companions who had fought side by side with him...

If one day, in pursuit of power, he were to view these people and these things as mere dust that could be wiped away at will...

Would he still be Chen Zhiwen?

A chill slowly rose from the bottom of his heart.

"Why is it like this?"

He forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart and asked in a deep voice.

"Is it a problem with the Cultivation Technique? Or does this world itself not allow... the existence of anyone beyond a Great Grandmaster to appear?"

"I do not know."

The zhandao sword spirit gave an answer that surprised Chen Zhiwen, yet was also within reason.

"My master also spent his whole life exploring this question."

"He consulted countless ancient texts, traveled across the mountains and great marshes of the Desolate Province, and even... risked entering some Forbidden Grounds."

"In the end, he reached a... unverified guess."

"What guess?"

Chen Zhiwen asked.

"He suspected..."

The sword spirit's voice was pressed extremely low, as if it were telling a shocking secret capable of overturning the entire cultivation system of the Desolate Province.

"The 'Dao' of this world is incomplete!"